Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Amazingly, I made it to New York! I called and scheduled a cab to pick me up at 8:00am, allowing plenty of time to get to the airport for my 10:50 flight. I made it through security and got to my gate by 9:00am. Great. No problems. I figured I had time to kill so I got some coffee and a bagel and sat down with my computer. I hung out in the food court area for a while, then decided to head back to my gate to wait for the plane. I sat down and did some reading. I don't know what possessed me to get up and look at the board, but I'm glad I did. My flight had been delayed, now with an 11:40 departure time, and boarding had been moved to another gate. So, I gathered up my things and headed to the new gate where I doubled checked, with the airline people, that I was in the right place. Assured that I was where I was supposed to be, I took my laptop back out and did some writing while I waited for them to begin boarding.

Time ticked by and they never called anyone to board. The thing is, the waiting area at the gate was nearly empty though. I had heard them call people to board for the flight to Minneapolis. But why wasn't anyone else waiting for the New York flight? It was 11:30 and no one was around and they hadn't called anyone to board. "Oh no," I thought. "My flight has been moved to yet another gate!"

I asked a guy at the desk where the flight for LaGuardia was boarding.

"Right here."

"Here???"

"Yes, but the flight is full."

"Full?" I stammered. "What do you mean 'it's full'?"

This guy was totally pulling my leg. This can't be my plane. My plane can't be full. The door can't be closed to my plane because I never heard them call anyone to board. If it was my plane, I'd be on it and I wasn't on it, so this guy was obviously joking around with me.

The gentleman was looking at me like I was quite possibly the dumbest person on earth.

Uh oh. He's not joking around with me.

"Seriously? This is the plane to New York?! I never heard you call anyone to board! All I heard was boarding for Minneapolis! Here's my ticket!" I thrust my ticket in his face and started freaking out in earnest. The only thing going through my mind at this point was "Oh crap!"

He told me to run because the plane was about to back away. He unlocked the door, so I could run down the gangway as the flight attendants started closing the airplane door. The flight attendant looked at me and informed me there was no room for my suitcase and I'd have to go back to the gate and check it. Ugh. I ran back up the gangway, waited for the guy to unlock the door again, handed him my suitcase, prayed it would actually make it on the flight, then ran back down to the plane. This time the flight attendant informed me that my seat had been given away, so she assigned me another seat (the ONLY empty seat) between two other passengers. I didn't want to hold up the flight, so I didn't bother trying to stow my coat and instead held it the whole trip.

I sat down, heart racing, sweating with my winter coat on my lap, squished between two people, and thought, "It's official. I've just replaced my 'dork' status with that of 'world's biggest idiot'." the next thought was, "Oh well. At least I have something to blog about. I can't let my readers down by having a normal, uneventful trip, right?" ;)

New York is BIG. I mean, like really, really big. I mean like bigger than my butt(and that is REALLY big!) The ride from the airport to my hotel scared the snot out of me. Oh my gosh, New Yorkers drive like MANIACS! I'm not sure which was scarier - the weaving in and out of traffic with mere centimeters to spare on either side, or this long, narrow tunnel with a cement wall on one side and orange things sticking out of the ground on the other, and barely enough room for one car to fit in between!

I have to admit to Melissa and Denise, my east coast friends from Connecticut and Lawn Guy Land respectively, that New York pizza is pretty darn good. I wouldn't say it was better than Chicago pizza, but it was yummy nonetheless. :D I'm prepared to call it a tie.

I just have one question. What is with all the horn honking?!! That's all I hear from my hotel room. Do people really think the traffic will move more speedily if they honk? I don't get it. I've never heard so much honking before! It's really loud. I guess it's all in what you're used to. People who live here probably don't even notice it.

So far, so good though. This city is very cool looking and I can't wait to explore a little more!

The Empire State Building

Lord & Taylor all lit up for Christmas

This was just delivered to my room! It includes champagne and chocolate! Have I mentioned how much I'm loving this?!!!

77 comments:

I live on Long Island -- The honking thing is a NY thing (theres actually places in the city you can get fined if you honk). You will also notice the lack of usage of blinkers. All rules of driving go out the window in NY.

Enjoy your stay :-) Its going to snow in the morning. Then you can see how insane NYers are when it snows! (picture what you saw, times ten)

Oh check out the Macys display windows down near Penn Station. 1 window is actually freaky.

You won't believe this but I totally did the same thing on my last flight...I was hustling to get to my gate (after lallygagging in the pub) and then found the door closed and as they were letting us in, informed us the flight had been moved to a different gate. I was the last person on the plane and felt like such a doofus (that's Michiganian for Dork!)It's good to know I am in good company! Have a great time in NY!

Good for you girl! I am sure there were times knee-deep in laundry and still wearing the spit-up stained clothes from yesterday that you would have laughed at the suggestion that someday you would be lounging ALONE in a NYC hotel sipping champagne and snacking on fine chocolates!!

I live about 45 minutes from the city(in NJ) and we go to NYC quite often. Look around while you are driving and you will see some "No Honking" signs. It is illegal to honk your car horn in NYC unless it is absolutely necessary...otherwise you can get fined for $100. I'm guessing they don't enforce it much because when we go that's all we hear, too.

Enjoy your trip, you are in a great city and it just so happens to be bigger than my butt, too, which also happens to be quite large.

This is SO COOL! I have never been there either and have always wanted to go. Esp this time of year, with the snow, etc and all the holiday stuff.

Sucks about your flight and all. I personally do not think you are a dork or anything else. I am amazingly perceptive and "with it" and the same junk has happened to me before. Of course, I was always traveling with many small children.

I am so glad that you made your flight. You never said whether or not your luggage made it with you, so I'm hoping that means that it did. Good luck to you on the rest of your adventure.

Just think, if we all looked at the humorous side of our life's challenges how much more harmony there would be in the world. You are truly an example to all of us. Thank you, Dawn, for setting the pace for the rest of us.

There is no point to the horn honking. It just makes people feel like they have some control over the traffic. It's useless and annoying. I'm glad you are enjoying NY!! I would recommend visiting the Christmas shops in Bryant Park. Beautiful Goodies!

I think it's safe to say you have left the dork status behind. You are now so ultra-cool that you are being put up in a NYC hotel with champagne delivered that you did not have to order and pay for yourself! Congrats and welcome to the world of being an author...at least almost! Bon Chance!!!

OMGosh! I am dying laughing right now! In June my daughter and I went to Mexico, (my first time out of the country). On our way back, I didn't know we had to stop in Phoenix and go through customs, I assumed it was at Oakland International that we would do that. So, not only was the plane delayed, caused up to be late at an airport I didn't know we were stopping at, but then we went to where the pilot said our flight would continue at, got to the gate and they said it was moved to another gate, ALL THE WAY ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE TERMINAL! We ran through the airport and they held the plane for us! How embarrassing.

And, I just got that "look" from Mr. Hot, since he read me a whole article and then looked at me and said "You didn't hear a word I said because you were blogging." But at least I'm not waiting for a plane! (grin, snort)

Yay, Dawn! Way cool to have fun in NYC. Where are you staying (ok, tell us after you get back so no creepies hunting you down)? I'm so excited to go next month. I definitely want the blow by blow of what to do while there. And thanks for the reminder to bring my ear plugs!

I like your fun flight story. Literally hearing people at the gate count down 7-6-5-4... as I'm flat out running to the gate to catch a flight is pretty nerve-wracking. Glad it worked out for you!

Back to an old topic.... For the moms whose kids have ADD and ADHD, how did you identify it as that and not something else? My son hasn't been diagnosed with anything, but we think he's somewhere on the autism spectrum. However, hearing some of the comments about behavior while not on meds... I am hearing a description of him. The lack of attention, inability to focus in class (especially gymnastics where it's loud), wackiness, no impulse control.... Prior to looking into ADD/ADHD, did any of you have other potential diagnoses or aspects you were concerned about before being told it was ADD/ADHD? I'm definitely trying the peanut butter trick the next time he gets wacky to see if by chance that helps any.

JK, the City is a great experience. Make sure you walk to Rockefeller Center.....if you dare, strap on a pair of skates. It is a great experience! Also....EAT! You had the pizza, now experience ALL of it....the culture, the diversity! Oh China Town, Little Italy.......You don't have enough time. I BEGGED the Christmas Fairy to take out all the calories!

As someone from the the Tri-State area (I grew up by Philly, now work in NYC), O'Hare has got to be one of the worse airports to deal with in the country - far too big, confusing, and UGH. I'm sorry.

I suppose I grew up so inured to NYC and it's... hugeness... that I forget how to deal politely with tourists (and I'm an actress, I shouldn't hate them so). You've gently reminded me that NYC is not an easy city to adjust to... but a lot of honking? It is illegal to honk in NY! (Not that it stops...) You should try Jersey. Honking is all we do (ok, we also use rude hand gestures).

Oh, and I'm a Sicilian pizza eater, but NY pizza is THE best. (So are the bagels. Make sure to get some bagels.)

Hope you have a great time in NYC! But I do have to disagree with you - there is NO WAY Chigago pizza could ever even come close to NYC pizza! You can't fold a slice of Chicago pizza in half and watch in horror as the grease that drips out the end, knowing that you are going to eat it's cheesy goodness in just a moment. Living in WI now makes me YEARN for some GOOD pizza! I am so tired of deep dish or crappy cardboard like frozen pizza! *sigh*

I don't get to NY often enough, but I've been there many times for day trips and a handful of times overnight, always on business and by myself. It's so nice there, even with the honking. It's just so...New York. Enjoy every minute. Here's a question for Sunday...what is your hotel and where exactly is it located? What's your favorite thing about it? Have a great trip!! Chris

You made my heart race just reading your story about the flight. Glad you made it, but sorry about the lousy seat.

Funny story about my parents when they were dating: My mom grew up in a small farm community and my dad lived in Kansas City. They were out one time and a lot of people were honking their horns. My mom said, "Boy, people sure are horny around here." My dad told her not to say that. :)

That is so funny but I do feel for you. I hate when they move stuff all around and you get bumped around. I don't care that you were late - I still think they should have your seat ready. They also need to be understanding because you were at the right gate - THEY moved stuff around. You are also very funny because I was just in Chicago this last weekend and I thought the same thing about the horns. I don't get it and had the same thought you did - do you they really think it's going to help anything?? My thought is it usually make it worse. I was actually driving a friends car and had a friend with us that lives in Chicago. I decided to honk everytime someone else did just to prove a point. It didn't take long for everyone in the car to get very agitated by it. After that it really stuck out when someone honked. I, of course, thought it was funny. I'm sure if I had been on their end I would have been grumpy about it too though! :o) Have a great trip to NY! Haven't been yet but keep talking about it. I think I need to go this time of year too because I would love to be there for one of their winter snow storms. I LOVE snow!

I doubt that New York honking is worse than Merida! In the Yucatecan Driver's Handbook it actually tells you to honk when you approuch an intersection. Yep, I live in a country where honking is mandatory! The Yucatecans blame the people moving down from Mexico City for the bad driving and the honking. But they will honk even before the light turns from red to green!I was born in New York City, I loved living there as a little kid. It would be fun to go again as a tourist.regards,Theresa

Lol. My husband refuses to go to NYC without renting a car. He says he LOVES driving in the city because it's like a video game. Only I'm pretty sure if you go careening into things in the city, you don't magically "reset" into the proper position with little to no damage to the vehicle, lol. Only thing I think is worse than being in the car with him while he drives in NYC (it's amazing because it doesn't take long for him to fit right in with the rest of the crazies) is looking for parking!

And NOTHING is better than NY pizza!!!! (And nothing is tied either, lol.) But then I'm originally from CT and my mom lives just north of the city so it's only natural I'd be partial to NY, lol.

For the person who commented asking about ADHD, with the possibly autistic son... there is a LOT to it, which obviously I can't get into very well here. Part of the reason ADHD and ADD are so overdiagnosed is because most of the best known symptoms are experienced by most people at least some of the time. I knew SOMETHING was up with my daughter since she was 18 months old but it took a while to figure it out.

Basically there are 2 types of the disorder. Hyperactive form or inattentive form... or you can have both (my daughter and I both have both forms). The DSM-IV criteria (which is how docs diagnose it) is basically as follows:

6 or more of the following:Inattention to detail, inability to focus on tasks/play, not listening when spoken to, not following instructions, difficulty organizing, avoiding anything that takes a lot of mental effort for long periods, easily distracted, forgetful

OR 6 or more of the following:Fidgeting/squirming while seated, gets up when sitting is expected, runs/climbs when not appropriate, trouble playing quietly, "on the go" or "driven by a motor", talks excessively, blurts out answers before questions are finished, trouble waiting for a turn, interrupts or intrudes on others

In addition some symptoms that CAUSE IMPAIRMENT have to be present before age 7, impairment from symptoms needs to be present in 2 or more settings (school, work, home), there must be clear evidence of impairment in social, school or work functioning, and the symptoms are not from another mental disorder.

Now in the case of me and my daughter... we both have pretty severe cases and actually have ALL the symptoms (not just 6 and from both groups, not just one or the other). You might be asking how I can write such a long comment when I'm supposed to have ADHD... which is a good question. There is a misconception that we lack an attention span. Not true. We lack CONTROL of our attention span. Computer, tv, and video games can become a "hyperfocus" and cause us to become almost hypnotically drawn in, nearly impossible to drag away. Computer is my hyperfocus.

Also, something that is not well known yet is that people with ADHD appear to lack the filter that most people have. The thing that tells us something isn't important.... little background noises that most people don't notice unless attention is called to them. With ADHD you hear ALL OF IT. Mechanical hummings white noises, footsteps, stupid little noises. This is why being in public places can be particularly bad. I avoid restaurants, malls, etc. whenever I can because I go crazy and I'm an adult... can't imagine what it's like for my daughter. I can tell you every conversation going on in the room. Not because I'm eavesdropping... because I can't NOT hear them. What I have discovered is that giving my daughter something specific to focus on (at the grocery store I have her help me find the items I need) or getting her to close her eyes and take a few deep breathes when she starts to overload... really helps. Also: meditiation is supposed to be VERY helpful for people with ADHD. HTH

Chicago pizza is better? Them's fightin' words! Get yourself downtown to the good pizza parlors in Little Italy, or better yet, hop on the 2 train to the Bronx, get off at Burke Avenue and go to Three Boys From Italy. They're so good, they don't deliver. Nothing beats a good Bronx pizza. :o)

You're not the world's biggest idiot-- the exact same thing happened to me the last time I flew! I don't know if they purposefully speak too quietly for anyone to hear, because I almost missed the flight because of that. Unfortunately though, one of my bags (which I had checked properly) didn't make it... I had to wait three weeks for my clothes to arrive.Enjoy your vacation!

If you think riding in a regular NYC cab is adventurous - take a ride in one of the bicycle cabs!!!We did that a couple of years ago and got HIT by a regular cab as we were weaving in and out of traffic! No one was hurt, but it's a ride I'll never forget. However, I still love NYC.

I have never been on an airplane, but I just have to say...I would have been so mad if they would have given my seat away. What is the point of buying a ticket when they're just going to give the seat-that you paid for- to someone else? Why do they give you a seat number on your ticket then instead of just marking it as what class you're in?

LOL, Dawn, you're like Mrs. Incredible, except that you can adapt to anything! You leave the duties of SAHMommyhood behind for a day, and are almost instantly swept away into the workaday 'commuter' professional world in the airport and then in NYC! You're livin' the life, baby...the best of both worlds!Have a safe, productive and enjoyable working vacation.

Hi Dawn, I am a hair designer and when I was younger and single our hair salon took a trip to a huge hair convention there in NYC. We had so much fun. Although a Hair show is not the place to meet a potencial boyfriend! LOL. My girlfriend has a male friend there that owns a resturant and we were treated like queens. He also had an office in one of the twin towers so we got to go there. I have great memories of all we did and seen. Enjoy the rush! Kristine in Michigan.

ENJOY every minute of your trip!! New York is so fun! I was going to warn you about the cab rides but I thought you should experience it for yourself! = ) My advice: look straight ahead so you don't see the idiots who are about to get hit by your cab driver.

So when is it your suppose to head home dawn? NY is getting a noreaster storm this coming weelend and they are getting hit with lots of snow today! I hope your on that place before the noreaster or you may be staying a little longer than you planned. A noreaster is a VERY BAD winter storm. I am origonally from NY, glad I got out of there casue of thet terrible weather.

WELCOME TO NYC! Yup, the driving, the honking the poles sticking up in the Lincoln Tunnel... You are here and it's all normal for this City. I never understood the honking myself. There are actually signs with warnings of $300 fines for honking (noise pollution), but they all still do it. I'm surprised you haven't heard swearing amongst the drivers, LOL. Oh, but you will, or maybe the extra honking is because they are keeping the cold air out of their cars. enjoy your trip. I'm jealous of your welcome package, I WANT SOME CHOCOLATE!!!

LOL If you think the driving, the traffic, the weaving and the honking is bad in NYC, you should go to CHINA! When we were there adopting our daughter in 2000, I swore I was going to DIE in the streets before I ever made it back home with my baby!

How exciting for you!! I'm so jealous. The same thing happened to my boss and his wife awhile back while they were at O'Hare waiting to fly back to Kansas. They never heard them call for their flight.

On another note, Your blog got me thinking of what I could do to help cancer survivors/patients. I don't have a lot of money to donate, but I had been thinking about what I could with my wedding dress. I think I've decided to donate it to Brides Against Breast Cancer. I would love to know if any of your readers or anyone you know has ever done this. This was really the only reputable place I could find to donate it. Thanks.

I know what you mean about the driving! I took my daughter to NYC when she was 6 to visit my sister. When we arrived we took the train into the city. When we left we got a car service. I didn't realize how far JFK was from Manhattan by car! We got off the highway and I had no idea where we were! My daughter was car sick. I kept yelling at the guy to slow down. He just laughed at me. Then my imagination went wild with visions of kidnapping and the slave trade. We did get to the airport, though!

I was amazed with the traffic my first time in New York too. Although after spending a month in Hanoi, New York drivers are actually pretty tame. Hanoians use turn signals to tell others what to do & the horn is a must - you drive with your hand on it at all times. At least in New York they don't drive on the sidewalk, something to be thankful for!

Welcome to the first snowstorm of the North East. I hope you find the east coast exciting and fun. I live in CT and NYC is like our back yard. Enjoy your trip and hopefully you see why we can't live anywhere else but around here.

When we went o/s in 1982 we couldn't fly direct from Adelaide so had to go to Melbourne. we had had our tickets about 6 months.

We got to the airport in what we thought was plenty of time only to find out they had moved the time of the flight forward and it was already boarding !! Talk about panic stations. The place was packed with people doing to the same thing catching the plane to Melbourne to transfer to international flights

We were there checking in and to our horror hubby realized that he left his briefcase in our friend's car which had his airline ticket/passport/travel cheques in it!

He madly tore back to the car checked in and there we were trying to fight our way through hoards of people seing off friends and to top it all off, there was some-one in a kilt playing the bagpipes and we couldn't hear a thing over the loudspeaker!

Security actually had to almost forcefully move back people not catching the plane so we could get through

Coming home we had a nice surprise though.We went to Heathrow in plenty of time needed to be there 2 hours prior anyway and got to the counter only to be told economy was full!!!

I started freaking out but before i could say anything, in the next breath the check-in person (lol) said........"so we've upgreaded you to Business Class" ...yes it really happens!!

I'm originally from NY, and now live in the midwest (we're kind of in "nose hair" territory of Lake Michigan, 90 min from Chicago). Please, for me, have some pizza, real hot, fresh bagels right out of the oven, and Chinese food. Oh....the Chinese food....And ask anyone for directions. The only argument you should encounter will be between 2 NYers who disagree on the fastest way to get to Madison Sq Garden (they'll try to outdo each other in helpfulness). Christmas in NY is THE BEST. Enjoy! Take lots of pictures!

I had the exact same thing happen to me last December when I was flying back east. They never called the flight - boarding or final call. When I finally got up to see if the flight had been further delayed, "Oh. It just took off." Uh-huh. And when were you going to tell me this? Argh!

Wow I just watched that video link from a comment and was amazed at it !!!We live three hours drive from Sydney and went there for our honeymoon and were amazed at the noise from the city lol. Its incredible the way people drive in the city also its like they are on a mission and cant stop till there finish it lol.Enjoy yourself and thanks for the photos

Coming from a frequent traveler, a couple of answers on the giving away of the seat:

Your ticket is a contract to ride the plane. The seat assignment is a courtesy. People being people, there's a large number of people on any given flight who don't make it for various reasons: missed the flight entirely, got an earlier flight, changed their flight at the last minute, delayed from a connecting flight, etc. Thus, there are always more tickets available for a given flight than seats available. Each seat is only assigned once. If you have a truly full flight and you didn't get a seat assignment before they were granted to others, you'll still have a valid ticket but not an assigned seat.

20 minutes before the flight, anyone who hasn't checked in loses their assigned seats. Those seats are then given to those who are waiting for them -- standbys from other flights (people who want to fly earlier, people who missed other flights, etc) and people who want to "improve" their seats. As final boarding is called, if people haven't boarded, those seats are also given away.

It's not always great when you're on a full flight (which, thanks to improved modeling, you're more likely to have now than 10 years ago), but it's the way airlines maximize their revenue while minimizing passenger irritation. If they fly with an empty seat, that's revenue lost to them. If someone's wants to get on the 9am flight instead of the 11am flight and is able to because someone on the 9am flight missed it (or didn't board when called ;) ), that means there's now a seat on the 11am flight if: someone wants to buy a ticket on the 11am flight, someone was delayed on a connection that should have gotten in at 8:30 but instead got in at 9:10, etc. Relative to the true cost to fly, our tickets are relatively cheap -- and part of the reason is because airlines do oversell flights.

Oh Dawn, there is one sight you will regretfully miss, and that's the guitar playing naked cowboy! Yup. We were visiting family a couple summers ago and this guy was wearing a cowboy hat, boots and white underwear with something like Naked Cowboy written across his butt. He was panning for donations on a traffic island! The kids got a kick out of it, tooke pics with camera phones to prove it to friends. I'm going to assume it's a tad bit too cold for his routine now. I dunno, maybe he wears a trenchcoat with a sign and flashes people. hee hee

Welcome to NY! There is something in the water that makes pizza and bagels out of this world! You should totally try the pastrami too! Here is hoping you actually make it home because that Sat night storm should be a doozy. Safe trip!http://thecarneybuzz.com

Dawn, My first time to New York was just as eventful. My flight wasn't delayed, but it was delayed to land. We circled over La Guardia for two hours, then we had to set down in Maryland to refuel. We eventually landed about five hours after my flight was to arrive. I have no way of contacting my friends who were waiting for me. Fortunely they did wait!!! I still love New York :->

The only excitement we've had here in FL is a new form of "snow"... My son's pull-up was overloaded (somehow) and he proceeded to swing it around the bathroom spreading those sticky clear diaper pee globs EVERYWHERE. I've had them in my washer before (washing a diaper by mistake), but never all over the floors, walls, hallway carpet, sink, etc. Unbelievable!! LOL.

Meanwhile, my oldest DD is learning to read (age 5) and to play simple songs on the piano. She said she found a Beethoven song in her Christmas song book called "O Little Town of Beethoven". LOL.